CALENDAR DATES TERMS 3 & 4

Sept 12 Thurs

Stage 2 Excursion Riverview

Sept 18 Wed

SRC Leadership Event Parliament of NSW Depart 10.00 am

Sept 20 Fri

Assembly 9.00 am Prepared by Stage 2 St. Matthew’s Feast Day Last day of Term 3

Oct 8 Tues

Staff Development Day

Oct 9 Wed

Term 4 commences Students first day of Term 4

Sept 19 Thurs

Voice of Youth Grand Final St. Margaret Mary’s, Merrylands

St Matthew’s Catholic Primary School

12 Tebbutt Street Telephone: (02) 4577 3463 PO Box 406 Facsimile: (02) 4577 6461 Windsor 2756 Email: stmatthews@parra.catholic.edu.au Web Address: www.stmatthewswindsor.catholic.edu.au

ST. MATTHEW’S SCHOOL FOCUS FOR WEEK 9 “We respect ourselves & others”

NEWSLETTER 12 September 2013

Dear Parents, I am delighted to inform you of two exciting initiatives commencing next term at St. Matthew’s. Our senior students will be commencing a Bring-Your-Own-iDevice program. The students have already begun working with cloud-based technology to engage in and enhance their learning at school and home. We are trialing the use of students’ personal devices on our secure school network. The learning so far has been tre-mendous and we are excited about the possibilities next term will bring. We will be looking at the implications of the trial for the rest of the school during the term. Secondly, a group of interested parents gathered on Wednesday morning to dis-cuss beginning a playgroup in our parish hall. We are looking to begin that in week one next term. We will trial Wednesday and Thursday mornings, trying to fit in with family needs. The parents are now organizing it themselves. To facilitate communication there will be a group Facebook page created. More news to follow! Staff Development Day – Our first day back next term is a pupil free day. On that day the Catholic schools of our Hawkesbury District will be gathering to explore the theme of Peace and Reconciliation – how we live that as individuals and in our teaching roles in school for our children and families. The day will be facilitated by Fr. John Watkins who himself attended St. Matthew’s and Bede. This day will be significant to our work in service of our collective communities. Please remember to contact COHSC if you require supervision for your children. Finally, Mrs Lyn Legrand is retiring as Principal of St. Monica’s Catholic Primary School, Richmond and Mr Cameron Lievore will be assuming this position in term four. Congratulations and farewell to Lyn and welcome to Cameron! With thanks for your ongoing support, Stephen Dowd Principal

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY

TUESDAY 8TH OCTOBER

Greetings Everyone! Peace be with you! We are very proud of our Stage 2 students who performed at Captivate last week! I especially liked the song “Gospel Ship”. The term is quickly coming to a close and what a great way to finish the term - but with St. Matthew’s Feast Day! On Friday, the 20th of September, everyone is invited to celebrate St. Matthew’s Day with us - a Liturgy at 10.00 am and classes will rotate to experience different learning opportunities, every 30 minutes. These include: Writing prayers, meditation, sport, drama and games played by children 100 years ago! We pray for all those in our school and parish community who have been sick. We ask Jesus to protect our loved ones and especially anyone effected by the recent fires. Have a safe and restful holiday and enjoy the time with your children. On Saturday 21st of September it is the feast of the apostle Matthew.

God of splendour and glory,

by the example and prayers of Matthew, help us to hear your word and respond in faith.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

God Bless! Ann Climpson

ST MATTHEW’S DAY – Friday 20th September On Friday 20th September, the last day of this Term, we will be celebrating the Feast day of St Matthew (Saturday 21st September). We would like to invite you to join in with our day of celebrations and activities, which will begin at 9:30am. Activities will be on a rotational basis and take place throughout the day. We will stop to celebrate a Liturgy at 10:00am . You are welcome to join us for part of the day, or for the whole day of activities. A separate note will be sent home so you can order a sausage sizzle and popper for your child and any extra visi-tors on the day for lunch. Lunch will be at the normal school time of 11am. This note will need to be returned by Monday 16th September. We look forward to celebrating this important feast day with our families. Joanne Digwood Assistant Principal

Student of the Week

Kinder Christian Dagher Nano Sansahachok Teigan Kurz Abby Fagan

For his enthusiasm and insightful questions on our excursion to the farm. For his outstanding achievement in reading. For her outstanding patterns in mathematics. For beautiful handwriting.

Year 1 Jude Deguara Brooke Donaldson Sophia Ghantous Madaleine McDonald

for being a great role model in year 1 always listening and participating in class. Well done for always doing beautiful handwriting. for always producing quality work.

Year 2 Jordyn Bezzina Tatiarna Valente James O'Neill Rhys Bobart

for writing a great discussion and striving to improve her writing skills for writing a great discussion and striving to improve her writing skills for demonstrating excellent problem solving skills in Maths for writing an excellent discussion during partner writing time in Literacy

YEAR 3 There are no student’s of the week this fortnight, but we can tell you what’s been happening

Stage 2 have been busy writing Narratives as part of their Text Type unit. These have been wonderfully rich in descriptive language and themes. We are now getting ready for our adventure to Riverview Shopping Complex as we look into the role of vendors and shops in our local community. We absolutely enjoyed our Incursion to the Planetarium- where the students learnt about the constellations and planets through 3D visions. The students have become quite knowledgeable about Space and its Surroundings. Test us if you dare!

Year 4 There are no individual Awards for Year 4 be-cause they all deserve praise and encourage-ment!

Year 4 sang beautifully at Captivate and were very well behaved. Year 4 have produced excellent projects on Reconciliation. They worked hard to express the message of forgiveness and God’s unconditional love for us. Well done Year 4!

YEAR 5 Shawnie-Beth Anderson Noah Moncrieff

For an enthusiastic performance at Captivate. For a fantastic limerick about Humpty Dumpty

Year 6 Rhys Jones Kieran Moore

Always being on hand to help with technology For being more considerate of others

Student Supervision and COHSC

Having COHSC on site means that supervision outside of school hours can be provided to families who need it. In the interest of and for the safety of the children, from August 19, those students brought to or left at school out of the supervision hours will be sent to COHSC. Playground duty begins at 8:30am and ceases at 3:45pm. Please note: Charges will apply. Parents are asked to make necessary adjustments.

RE SURVEY As part of a review of Religious Education in Catholic Systemic Schools in the Diocese of Parramatta, parents are be-ing encouraged to take part in a survey. The survey is being conducted with Teachers, Parents and Students to gain insights into the needs and wants of our Catholic communities. In completing the survey you are contributing to the development of a new syllabus for the teaching of Religious Education. For the opportunity to state your personal opinion about Religious Education in your child’s school, you will need to visit the following website to answer the survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/REEducationSurveyParents We ask that you complete the survey by the end of this Term and thank you for supporting your child’s education.

ST. MATTHEW’S SCHOOL CANTEEN ROSTER

HELP NEEDED DESPERATELY FOR LAST DAY OF TERM FRIDAY 20TH

As this day is also St. Matthew’s Day, we need help in the canteen to sell drinks, ice creams etc.

WEDNESDAY SEPT 18 THURSDAY SEPT 19 FRIDAY SEPT 20 Belinda Hardy Myra McDonald Help needed Ivana Katinic Alicia Ewart (9.15 start) Help needed

Lisa Bugeja 9-12

Kindy Kellie Turner

Year 1 Brooke Donaldson Chanel Refalo Logan McCabe

Year 2 Marianna Palazzolo Ella Karberis

Year 3 Bronagh Miskelly Annalise Dimech

Year 4 Olivia Keegan Madison Lewis Cameron Pellizzon

Year 5 Holly Higginson Klaudia Prasnicki

Year 6 Isabella Daley

Canteen help needed. Stephanie Turnbull has kindly offered her time to organise the canteen roster. We are having trouble filling places to help out in the canteen Term 4. If you are able to offer any days or even just a few hours please contact the school office or Stephanie on 0409 491 638 or email stmatthewscanteen@gmail.com .

Uniform Shop

Hours

Friday 8.30 am - 12 noon

Uniform orders can be placed at the front office or the form can be downloaded from

the website.

Any uniform sales or enquiries, Ruby will be able to assist you on Fridays between the hours of 8.30am & 12 noon.

Summer uniforms will need to be

ordered by 4th September so you will have them by end of Term 3.

Kindergarten Enrolments 2014

A reminder to parents, if you know anyone who would like to enrol their child in Kindergarten next year and has not completed an enrolment application, they should do this as soon as possible. Applications may be collected from the school office.

Summer Uniform Due to the unusually warm weather, if children are too hot in their Winter uniform they may wear their summer uniform in the last couple of weeks of this term. All children are expected to be in Summer uniform commencing Term 4.

From Hawkesbury library

MEET THE AUTHOR – TRACEY BRADY

Tuesday 17 September 11-12noon (Pre School Story Time)

Hawkesbury author, Tracey Brady will read her book 'Mackie Neighbour' and talk about the pro-cess of publishing her first story.

The book began with a grain of truth: 'We do have a cat, whose name is just plain Mack' says Tracey. 'We would stand out in the backyard and call Mack in for dinner, and one day we heard a little girl's voice calling out to him from over the back fence, "Mackie Neighbour, Mackie Neighbour!" And so a story was born. Children will be able to create their own Mackie cat during a craft session after the sto-ry, and Tracey will have copies of her book availa-ble for signing. Central Library, Windsor FREE admission, all welcome

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN SPORT What a day! What a day! Two amazing teams from St Matthew’s represented the school in the Stage 2 Touch Football Gala Day held at the Kingsway St Mary’s. It was an absolutely unbelievable day, of try scoring, high fiving and sports-manship. We arrived bright and early, with the students eager to warm up for competition. The boys and girls teams played six games each and demonstrated and upheld the St Matthew’s spirit in their teamwork, skill and overall participation. The boys came together as a team and managed to further develop their skills and an understanding of the game. They showed great skill in communicating and congratulating each other in a job well done. In one game in particular the boys came together to score tries left, right and center and developing an outstanding defense against tough opponents. Great Work Boys! Out came the girls' team with much excitement, but very nervous for the first game. With much enthusiasm, the girls walked out on the field ready to get down to business. The whistle blew and the girls tapped and ran with the ball, out scoring each team they came across. Throughout the day the girls flaunted their skill and dominated their games. The girls won five of their six games showcasing some amazing talent in line breaks and super defense. Well done to the girls as they came second in their pool division. Thank you to all of the parents who assisted in managing the two teams and those who were able to get to some or all of the games today. We really appreciate the support and I know that your children loved having you there. A spe-cial mention needs to go to Mrs Peare who gave up so much of her time to coach, manage the teams and make a delicious lunch. THANK YOU! We were also fortunate to have the assistance of two young men from Bede Polding, Ben and Joel, as referees. They were a true representation of the Catholic values we hold in their interactions and sportsmanship. What amazing role models for our students. Considering this was the first time most of these children have ever played Touch Football, they did a spectacular job and the school was extremely proud of them. Brian Hafsteins, Sports Teacher.

14 August 2013 Dear Parents, The Orientation Day for students only and the Orientation Evening for parents only will both be held on Wednesday 20 November. PLEASE MARK THIS DATE IN YOUR DIARY AS NO FURTHER REMINDER WILL BE SENT! ORIENTATION FOR STUDENTS 20 NOVEMBER

All students who have been accepted must attend the Orientation Day at the College. The students should be at the school by 8:45am and will leave at 2:30pm. Parents are asked to arrange transport on this day and not depend on school buses. The students should wear the school uniform of their current school and need to bring:

a pencil or pen recess

A sausage sizzle will be provided for lunch. PARENTS MEETING 20 NOVEMBER

This meeting will begin at 7:00pm in the Good Samaritan Hall. It will address expectations, clarify any problems and give all parents an indication of what Bede Polding College is all about. All parents are expected to attend. The uniform shop will be open on this day from 8:00am until 3:30pm. Looking forward to meeting all new and current families, Yours sincerely

Mr Kevin Jones Principal

Catholic Education Office

Bishops Office Grace & Silence Retreat Day for Young Women: 21 September Young women aged 17-30 who are discerning their vocation to marriage, single or consecrated life are invited to the Schoenstatt Shrine in Mulgoa for a Grace & Silence Retreat Day. Grace & Silence commences with a short impulse followed by Eucharistic adoration; silent prayer and reflection and concludes with a group rosary and afternoon tea. Cost: $20 includes lunch. Time: 9.30am-4.30pm. Venue: 230 Fairlight Rd, Mulgoa. Further information and registration contact Sr M Julie Brcar 0408 738 334 or juliebrcar@gmail.com

Feast Day of Our Lady of Penafrancia: 21 September St Nicholas of Myra Church, High St, Penrith. Program:9.15am novena; 9.45am concelebrated Mass; noon-12.30pm fluvial procession at Nepean River; assembly at Tench Reserve, Jamieson Rd, Penrith; 12.45–4pm lunch and entertainment, Factory Rd side of Tench Reserve. Details: Doc Tito/Neria Soliman tel 0404 011 524.

Day trip to Mount Annan Botanic Gardens: 1 October Join the social group from Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Greystanes, for morning tea at Koshigaya Park, Campbelltown, in manicured gardens with cherry blossom trees. Travel to Mt Annan Botanic Gardens for a driving tour of the theme gardens including Bottlebrush Garden, Wattle Garden and Banksia Garden. Cost: $35 includes morning tea. Lunch atCampbelltown Catholic Club (own expense). Bus departs 8.45am at 20 Virgil St and 8.50am opposite OLQP Church, 198 Old Prospect Rd, Greystanes. Deposit of $20 required when booking with Marie (02) 9896 7046, 0414 782 358 or Frances (02) 9636 5548, 0421 027 119, francesgrima@optusnet.com.au

DISCOVER Weekend for Young Women: 11-13 October Young women aged 18-35 are invited to a self-knowledge weekend on identity, personality, dignity, womanhood, personal ideal, vocation and mission. At the Mount Schoenstatt Retreat Centre, 230 Fairlight Rd, Mulgoa. Registration essential. For further information or to register contact Sr M Julie Brcar: juliebrcar@gmail.com

Prayer and Reflection Day: 13 October Everyone is welcome to this lovely day of quiet, peaceful prayer and reflection in beautiful surroundings of the Marymount Mercy Centre, 36 David Rd, Castle Hill. Time:10.30am-3pm. Donation: $10. Bookings: CatholicCare Parramatta tel (02) 9933 0205.

Mass in Igbo language: 13 October Mass celebrated in Nigerian at 11.30am in St Oliver Plunkett’s Church, 35 Wigram St, Harris Park. Details: Austin Okereafor: 0421 928 116, Evaton Onton: 0469 627 218 or Stella Nwosu tel 0405 478 472, 8678 2118, stellanwosu@msn.com

Remembering Marriages at St Mary’s Cathedral: 13 October Those married at St Mary's Cathedral are invited to return with their families for a special Mass of Thanksgiving, Blessing and Renewal of Vows on Sunday 13 October at 10.30am, followed by morning tea on the Crypt Veranda. Certificates will be presented for 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th, or 60th anniversaries. Those with ancestors married at St Mary’s are also invited to join in this wonderful celebration. To register your interest, RSVP by 10 October to Helen tel (02) 9220 0414 or Event Coordinator: valentina.markovina@sydneycatholic.org

9th National eConference on St John’s Gospel: 16 October Theme: ‘The love of God made visible’. Keynote educators:Fr Francis Moloney SDB and Dr Dorothy Lee. A FREE eConference presented by The Broken Bay Institute in association with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. The Institute for Mission in Blacktown is a host site – please contact Maryann to register your attendance on the day tel (02) 9831 4911. Time: 10.30am-2.30pm. To participate independently contact Rhonda Andersen at the BBI tel (02) 9847 0726, econferences@bbi.catholic.edu.au

Catholic Education Office

Bishops Office

Emmaus Golf Day: 18 October Calling all golfers to help raise funds for CatholicCare’s Emmaus service supporting people with a disability. If you would like to play golf or enter a team of 4 in this fundraising golf day at Springwood Country Club, please contact Claire tel (02) 9933 0222, golfday@ccss.org.au

MGL Spiritual Association Retreat Day: 19 October The MGL Spiritual Association invites you to a retreat day to be held at the MGL sisters' mission house, 11 Torbert Ave, Quakers Hill, on Saturday 19 October from 9am-5pm. It will consist of praise and worship, a talk given by Sr Kate, Mass, silent adoration, rosary, prayer ministry and Reconciliation. Please BYO lunch, afternoon tea provided. Young people especially wel-come! RSVP: FaceBook MGL Spiritual Association Sydney. Contact: Jenny Scott 0405 090 825, jennytscott25372@gmail.com

Australian Catholic Historical Society Colloquium: 20 October Topic: ‘Captains of the soul: chaplains in the Australian Army, 1913-2013’. Dr Michael Gladwin, School of Theology, Charles Sturt University, Canberra. Time: 2.30pm – all welcome. Crypt Hall of St Patrick's at Church Hill, Grosvenor St, The Rocks. Inquiries: Dr John Carmody, President ACHS, (02) 9417 2082, john.carmody@sydney.edu.au

Holy Family Community Golf Day: 25 October

10am sharp hit-off at the Dunheved Golf Club on Links Rd, St Marys. Cost: $100 per person. There are many great prizes to be won. Light refreshments to follow at the Holy Family Parish Centre, 11 Emert Parade, Emerton. Details: Malia Lolesio at the Parish Office on (02) 9628 7272, enquiry@holyfamily.org.au

Catholic Super Free Retirement Seminar: 30 October & 11 November Have you started thinking about retirement? Financial security will give you the opportunity to enjoy a longer life with family and friends and to pursue your interests free from money worries. Catholic Super is an industry fund and returns all profits to members. This FREE seminar will cover: retirement goals & budgets, increasing your retirement savings, transition to retirement strategy.

Wednesday 30 October: Parramatta RSL, Hunter Room, cnr Macquarie & O’Connell sts, Parramatta;

Monday 11 November: Springwood Sports Club, Sassafras Room 2, 83 Macquarie Rd, Springwood.

Time: 6.45pm for 7pm start. Register: tel 1300 730 327 or www.csf.com.au